Three of the top seven 2020 Florida passing leaders hailed from the greater Tampa Bay area. It’s now time for Scott Lynch to take the next step and progress into the upper echelon of Florida quarterbacks.
When a sophomore throws for 2,576 yards and 31 touchdowns, it’s impressive. When that sophomore also does it during a pandemic with all the distractions and uncertainty that add to playing quarterback, one should tip their cap to that young man.
By Brian Smith @fbscout_florida
Meet Scott Lynch of Northside Christian in Saint Petersburg. The 6-3, 205-pound signal caller threw for all those yards and touchdowns without an elite wide receiver such as Bloomingdale’s Agiye Hall.
Even without a player like Hall, who signed with Alabama, give credit to Northside Christian and Lynch for making it happen. They did an incredible job. Now, here are a few items to consider about Lynch based on his 2020 season.
Three areas proved to be noteworthy for Lynch: accuracy, throwing angles, and a good base to throw from. With accuracy, he’s proved he can hit the difficult seam pass with timing, connect with the back shoulder fade, and he throws a pass just over the linebacker during a nine route to the slot receiver. Lynch also displayed accuracy with pinpointing a pass down the sideline to a streaking wide receiver. Lynch made big plays last year, and accuracy was a big part of it. He also finds ways to get the ball to his targets.
Sometimes Lynch made plays while scrambling. This is a big part of football during the modern era, and it’s also something Lynch proved he can and will accomplish. Even better, Lynch found ways to buy time in the pocket and utilize a three-quarter arm angle to pass around a linebacker near the line of scrimmage. That’s a veteran pass. Well done. Finally, Lynch makes passes from a good foundation.
Passing a football is similar to shooting a basketball. If one consistently utilizes the same motion over and over, there’s a greater chance for success. Lynch does not over rotate his upper body too much, nor does he throw with just his arm strength. A consistent over-the-top motion complements Lynch’s lower body base when he makes a pass. Sounds simple, yet it is not that simple.
Many sophomore quarterbacks alter their motion when passing the football. Lynch was pretty consistent. Again, this is a class of 2023 player. He still holds two years of high school football to play. Lynch will certainly be even more consistent moving forward.
While he can fine tune his motion, it’s going to be more about Lynch’s natural physical maturity combined with strength and conditioning that allows him to take that next step to where Wright was this past season.
Can Lynch accomplish that goal? Possibly. He just needs to keep honing his craft. Many factors will tie into that equation as well, such as the players around him, including the offensive line, being in sync with Lynch. Bottom line, Lynch is one of the Tampa Bay area’s best quarterbacks for the 2021 season.